Wells leaves Chamber for county

Christina Wells, president and CEO of the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce, announced to its members on Monday that she has accepted a position as senior management analyst for Halifax County, N.C., and will be leaving her current role at the end of May.

Her letter toys with the phrase, “It is with a heavy heart…,” but diverges into her story of accepting her position at the Chamber. She said that “with a heavy heart” is not entirely true.

Wells started as the Chamber’s executive director in July 2013. At this year’s annual meeting and awards ceremony, Wells told the audience the story of accepting the position. She met with Bill Owens of Ace Hardware, then-chairman of the Chamber’s board of directors, at The Pointe, where Owens worked at convincing Wells to take the job.

“If you don’t want change, or someone who is going to move things as you set them down, then I’m not your girl,” Wells said she told Owens.

Since her start in 2013, Wells has grown the Chamber by over 200 members and has been at the forefront of building community in the region. Now the Chamber is nearing 450 members.

“From the inception of the organization, the founders knew that Lake Gaston was the hub of the region, and each of our five counties was a spoke. People may relocate, do business, retire, or visit because of Lake Gaston, but they also discover the many wonderful communities throughout the region. A rising tide truly raises all ships,” Wells wrote.

Wells said that she is accepting the new position with Halifax County for several reasons. She is thinking about her future, for retirement and benefits, and to be closer to her home and her family.

Her letter to her members is full of language of pride when talking about business owners and community leaders in the region, and reflects the good times, and not so good times, they’ve experienced together.

Though she starts her new position on June 1, Wells said that she will help the Chamber board in finding the next president and CEO, and will assist that person in taking over.

She finishes the letter by saying that this is see you later, and not goodbye.

Wells could not be reached for comment.

When contacted by the newspaper, Macia Kerr, who chairs the Chamber’s board of directors, had no comment about Wells’ resignation at this time.